The origins of the breed are not that easy to trace back through history, however it seems most likely that the ancestors of the Border Collie that we know and love today came from Ireland. As far back as the 5th century BC Celt farmers bred herding dogs to assist them with work around the farm. These were often powerful dogs, difficult to control and rough with stock. The world “collie“ is a derivative of the Celtic dialect name for “useful”.

For centuries shepherds continued to breed and train dogs to assist them in managing livestock and in 1873 the first sheep dog trials began in Bala, Wales which naturally encouraged more consistent breeding from the more successful dogs.